


I'd like to buy a Vowel

by Quarenqueen



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: All the Cute, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:14:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23412919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quarenqueen/pseuds/Quarenqueen
Summary: There is no universe in which Anne Shirley-Cuthbert and Gilbert Blythe do not find each other and simultaneously drive each other crazy in every way fathomable.Modern AU setting with our sweet little baby faces all grown up into consenting adults.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Comments: 38
Kudos: 112





	1. Chapter 1

A small bell chimed chimed a cheerful greeting as the door to the coffee shop swung open to welcome another soul desperately seeking the comforting embrace of caffeine. Inside was an cozy mixture of tables, chairs, a couple of worn in sofas. It had the that popular "farmhouse" feel to it with its distressed whitewashed decor and flowers placed ever so perfectly about. The walls were lined with books stacked haphazardly into the built in shelves that had seen even more stories than they held. If those walls could talk, they would spin tales of tragical romances, awkward first dates, working moms, single dads, break-ups, make-ups, and the laughter of friends.

The sunday morning the sun glinted through the cut glass windows casting miniature rainbows on the pages of a newspaper in the hands of a dark haired young man. He had a mug of black coffee who's tendrils of steam twirled elegantly, like a dancer disappearing into the air, and scattering away each time he lifted the cup to his lips for a sip. He didn't notice the bell as it announced the two women that entered. Anyone used to spending time in a coffee shop seems to develop a natural defense against minor distractions such as these. 

The ladies were walking arm in arm. One with long dark hair that curled ever so perfectly in all the right spots to make it look as though she had just left the salon. Dark brown eyes framed with thick lashes gave her that picturesque beauty ideal so many young girls would measure themselves up to. Her companion was the opposite in all ways. While only standing an inch or two taller with a lithe frame, she had bright red hair, seemingly thick though it was hard to tell as it was twisted into a fishtail braid. Her bright blue eyes, highlighted with bits of grey stood out against her pale skin dotted with freckles. 

"I'm telling you Anne, this is the best coffee in the city! The golden latte is to die for! And look...isnt it just charming? Honestly, it's like Joanna Gaines should be sitting in the corner eating a cupcake. I love the farmhouse trend, it's just so welcoming. It makes me want chickens!"

Anne smiled warmly at her best friend. "Diana, I've told you this before. This..." she gestured around her, vaguely, "is not what a farmhouse looks like. There should be feed catalogs scattered everywhere, dirt on literally everything and some really upsetting medication for the cows in plain sight so you dont forget them. I will admit, though. This is a much more romantic notion."

Diana threw an irritated glance back. "Yes. You grew up on a legitimate farm. We get it. Let the rest of us have our galvanized steel fantasy, alright? Their coffee is still great and I still want a chicken."

"Hello, ladies. Welcome to Avonlea, have you all been here before? The barista behind the counter greeted them warmly and they ordered, Diana excusing herself after to use the restroom and asking Anne to pick a table. 

A quick scan of the room revealed a few options, including a high top, a large table meant for a bigger group, and two fashionable armchairs in front of a faux fireplace. Moving in to stake her claim on the latter, she noticed a handsome man, seemingly about her age engrossed in a newspaper article seated at a small table next to the chairs. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his cup of coffee was paused halfway to his mouth as if he had read a sentence and needed to stop everything he was doing to take it all in. Anne smirked. 'A kindred spirit,' she thought to herself, recognizing that she also had a habit of freezing in place during a particularly engrossing passage. Setting her purse and jacket down on one of the armchairs, she turned around and gently tapped the gentleman's table her finger, giving him a small wave with her other hand and a quick smile when his eyes snapped up to meet hers.

"Um, hi. Hi. Sorry to interrupt you, it looked like a rather fantastic story you were wrapped up in...I just wanted to make sure it was alright that my friend and I sit here. We can get really chatty and I wouldn't want to be a bother..."

She trailed off her words and waited as he blinked at her for a few seconds, his eyes scanning her efficiently, making her almost uncomfortable. It seemed impossibly longer than it must have been, mere moments in reality, but his silence made her question her decision to bother him, and there was something in his eyes she couldn't place. "...riiiight, sorry, then. I didnt mean to disturb you, we can find somewhere else to sit. Have a good day."

She spun around quickly to gather her things to move to the high top that sat further away, but his hand caught her wrist for a moment, dropping it quickly when there was a small shock when her touched her and she looked back at him in surprise, finding him half standing in his haste to catch her.

"Sorry! Some static there...I didn't have my thoughts for a second. Still drinking my first cup..." He gave a charming half smile and nodded towards his mug. "Please, feel free to sit as you planned. I have a gift of tuning things out. You wont bother me at all."

Gilbert could have kicked himself. What. In the ever-living hell. Was that. The Scottish redhead posterchild of all his personal fantasies had appeared in front of him and he stared at her like a trout. Smooth. He stood the rest of the way up from his awkward position of squat/sit. His eyes darted to her hands, one of which was now nervously rubbing the wrist which he had reached out to grasp as she turned. Her eyes narrowed slightly in...annoyance? Confusion? Either way, it didnt seem like a great sign. His shoulders dropped with a breath he didnt know he was holding when she opened her mouth to speak.

"Its cool. I guess fair is fair, I startled you first. Thank you. We appreciate it." She gave him a coy smile and leaned in slightly. "Oh, and heads up? You shouldn't just grab girls by the wrist these days. You're lucky I didn't hit you in the head with one of those books in self defense".

He smiled back at her and turned his head to the bookshelf behind him. "Noted. I guess you're right, I am sorry for that, it was purely reflex. And thank you for holding back, I'd hate to see this copy of 'Crime and Punishment' used for its most ironic purpose."

"Mmmm, the poetic irony would have been perfect, but that's a paperback. The effect wouldn't have been severe enough."

Gilbert chuckled and was just about to hold out his hand to introduce himself when Diana returned from the bathroom.

"Oh, nice! You scored the chairs! Anyway, so tell me all about..."

Anne gave Gilbert a small nod and turned away. Leaving him with an odd feeling of disappointment in his gut. Sitting back down, he returned to his paper but couldn't help but steal glances up at the girl across from him, no matter how hard he tried. Her fingers were still wrapped around her wrist where he had touched her ever so briefly, occasionally stroking lightly. With the position of the chairs, her back was turned slightly to him, which he found irritating. He wanted to see her face again. He wanted to see if he could make those blue eyes sparkle with laughter. He wanted to know her name. He really wanted to hear her say his name. 

Shaking his head lightly, he focused on his paper again telling himself that just because he had a thing for redheads does not mean he needed to be going all 'You' on this girl. Get a grip.

After some time he got up to grab a refill on his coffee, and when he turned around the two women were gathering their things to leave. The brunette led the way, but the red head lingered just a moment, catching his eye. He froze once again just a moment too long, trouty mouth and all. She took a step towards him, opening her mouth to say something, but her friend called from the door "Anne?"

And then she was gone. Son of a bitch.


	2. Stargazing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Light smut warning towards the beginning of the chapter.
> 
> Off you go.

_The warm breeze blew over her skin as she laid on her back staring up at the stars. Despite the temperature, Gilbert felt a sense of elation as we watched the goosebumps trail up and down her arms following his fingertips. Even in the darkness, her red hair was a beautiful contrast to the emerald green of the grass it was tangling in._

_She ran a hand through his hair, her fingers twisting in the dark curly waves. Her other hand pointed to the night sky. "Perseus," she breathed into his ear, her teeth lightly grazing his earlobe._

_He hummed in response as if had to think about it. His hand drifted from her neck to the hem of her shirt, skimming his fingertips along as much skin as he could. "That's a good one. Perseus is one of the larger constellations, residing in the northern sky..." he pushes the fabric of her top up to expose her stomach. "...made up of 13 stars..." he kisses her neck between sentences, listening to her quick intakes of breath, each one taking away what precious little space was left in his pants._

_Pulling away from her, he kissed her quickly and shifted his weight up on his elbow, so he could examine the skin he had cleared. His hand rested on her side, squeezing lightly before bringing his index finger to find a freckle almost directly between her ribs. "Here we are. Starting at the bottom..." his fingers dragged lightly in a rough c shape, stopping at freckles along the way to represent the stars he was meant to be finding. "...and branching further up..." his fingers toyed at the bottom of her bra and she squirmed beneath him. "Oh darn. Clouds. How will we ever find the rest of the stars?" His hand cupped her breast, thumb brushing over the nipple he could feel hardening beneath the thin fabric._

_A small noise escaped from the back of her throat, desperate and wanting as she pushed herself up to take his face in her hands. "I couldn't care less about the stars," she hissed before kissing him roughly. He groaned heavily before wrapping his arms around her shoulders, not protesting at all as she pushed him down, straddling his waist as her hips were bore down on his erection causing all the breath in his body to exhale in a single word._

_"Ann..."_

Gilbert's eyes snapped open and he found a few things to still be true. It was still nighttime, and he was still massively turned on. Noticibly lacking was a field, stars, and a fantasy girl who would not leave his brain alone.

His hand drifted down to his distended member, throbbing in protest that the dream was over. Gripping it tightly, he began to stroke quickly and rough, wanting to find release as fast as possible. His eyes slipped closed and blue eyes flashed back at him. He gritted his teeth and tried to think about someone else...Christina Hendricks...Gal Gadot...that one nurse from the night shift, what was her name? Wren? Wendy? Winifred? It didnt matter. He gave in to the object of his mind's desire.

Once more he focused on the random girl from the coffee shop that had taken over all sensible thoughts, especially at night. He tried to remember her as best he could, how her fingers had wrapped around her wrist, how her tongue delicately licked drops of her coffee from dripping down her cup. How he wanted to be that cup. He was seconds from release, so he used the last of his imagination to conjure the image of her throwing her head back in simultaneous release her pale skin flushed and his name falling from her lips. His breath hissed through his teeth as he came, and fell back on his pillow, chest falling up and down rapidly.

Grabbing some tissues from his bedside table, he cleaned himself up and forced himself to the bathroom to wash up. Throwing himself back into bed, he rubbed his face with his hands. 'Gilbert Blythe, you are a creep' he thought to himself. 'All you know about her is her first name. You'll probably never even see her again.'

He turned on to his side and tugged a pillow to his chest. Maybe he should ask out the night nurse. That should help get this chick out of his system.

Stargazing was out of the question, though.

\---

Anne stood outside the cut glass windows of Avonlea Coffee co. worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. This was dumb. She should leave. Who even does this, stalking a coffee shop because of a cute boy. To be fair, this was the first time she had been back since her coffee date with Diana, and the chances of him being here were incredibly slim, but damn, it sure did feel like stalking.

"Nope. Screw it, not doing this." She muttered to herself and turned on her heel to walk away from the shop. She made it about 10 feet before abruptly turning around again, inner monologue going a mile a minute. '...I mean I already went out of my way and I wouldn't mind a second cup of coffee, it was good coffee, and also I wouldn't mind checking out the books they had on the shelves who knows I might find something new to read and so what if he's here it's not like he would remember me, and what if he did what am I supposed to say, oh hi, my name is Anne and I came here looking for you so it's nice to see you again and oh what's that? I'm a weird little stalker? Yeah, you're right, I'll be on my way enjoy your coffee, I'm off to dig a hole and die in it, and I mean who DOES this?!'

Pausing at front of the door once more, she clenched her fists and pushed it open. It was a late Saturday morning, so it was understandably busy. A few people stood in line, which was actually a relief. It gave her a chance to survey the customers without looking too obvious.

Her eyes flitted from table to table, her heart beating a mile a minute. 'Please dont be here, please dont be here...' she repeated the mantra over and over in her head. She was giving fate a chance, if she was meant to meet Mr. Average height, dark and handsome, fate would put him here, and the rest would sort itself out. If not then that was that. Let no one say Anne Shirley-Cuthbert was not one to allow the universe to throw some magic down.

She finished her covert sweep of the patrons, and while her mind did a victory cheer that her mystery man was not here, she felt a hollow tug in her heart. Today was not the day fate was on her side. That's that, she concluded.

Turning her focus to the menu. She decided on just a drip coffee for herself, but also ordered a golden latte (she had no idea what that was) for Diana and a London fog tea latte for Cole, both of whom she was meant to meet up with later. As she was waiting for her drinks, she was browsing the bulletin board of local events. Her eyes landed on a reminder that there was a farmers market/food truck rally combo just a few blocks down. She quickly brought up her phone and texted Cole and Diana.

Anne: You guys willing to put on pants? I just remembered theres a farmers market today in town. Also, food trucks.

Diana: do yoga pants count?

Anne: it's a farmers market, Di, that's practically dress code.

Diana: I'm game. See you in 20?

Anne: Perfect. Cole? You dead, man?

Cole: ...its so early. Go away.

Anne smirked at her phone and snapped a photo of the latte she bought for him, sending it off with a kiss face emoji.

Cole: ...bitch. I'm in for the free caffeine and the poutine you're going to buy me.

The barista called her name and she collected her drinks with a smile, politely asking for a couple extra cups to keep them warm until she could meet her friends. Stirring some cream and sugar into her coffee and taking one last look around the shop just in case, she sighed. 'That's that,' she repeated to herself and pushed the door open to head towards the market.

A few blocks of peaceful walking accompanied by the reggae rock tones of 311 which seemed appropriate on this sunny Saturday and Anne found herself among the rows of white canopied pop up booths and surrounded by everything from produce, to flowers, baked goods to crafts.

She felt a sense of warmth flood her as she thought of Green Gables and Matthew and Marilla. Making a mental note to call them later, she began taking note of booths she'd like to visit when Diana and Cole met up with her. There was a bakery booth that had some blueberry cornmeal scones that looked particularly promising.

As she was wandering a bit aimlessly, her phone pinged and she slowed to dig it out of her purse. The damn thing must have slipped down to the bottom of the bag again, and she diverted her gaze to try to locate it while still balancing the tray of beverages.

She didnt notice that she was walking straight into a table of vegetables that a vendor had extended slightly out of the confines of his canopy. She jolted forward as she hit the side of the table, cursing in a dreadfully wicked manner but managing not to spill her drinks everywhere.

Steadying herself, she frantically glanced around to apologize to the owner of the table, but was first met across with dark hazel eyes and a familiar cloud of dark curls on top of a handsome face.

It was coffee shop mystery man

He had his hands on a cardboard container of orange vegetables and the look on his face went from concern, to confusion, to an achingly charming smile in a matter of seconds. Anne could only stand there dumbfounded as he held out his parcel to her.

"Carrots?"

Fate, you mother f-er.


	3. Never underestimate the power of cheap sunglasses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Squeaky clean chapter. 
> 
> All the cute.  
> \---

' _Well...crap_.' Anne thought to herself as she blinked up at coffee shop guy and desperately fumbled around in her brain for something, anything, to say. ' _Come on, you've got this! Just open your mouth and say something witty, dazzling, something that will make an impression,_ ' her mental voice demanded of her as she opened her lips to speak.

"No thank you."

...what. Was that really the best she could come up with? She was a teacher, for Pete's sake. Of ENGLISH. Words were literally her whole thing. Personally embarrassed, she hastily gathered herself and spun around to go in any which direction away seemed most convenient. 

"Hey, wait! Wait a second!" 

She heard him, of course. They were mere feet apart, but she dug her phone out of her wretched, awful, black hole of a purse and pretended to answer a call that obviously didnt exist. Her eyes searched frantically for the food trucks, her new plan to dodge and weave between pedestrians until she could find a spot to blend in and hide until Diana or Cole met up with her and she would be safe.

The irony that she had specifically gone to a coffee shop out of her way to hopefully run into the exact man she was currently elaborately running away from was not lost on her. It made no sense. But the second she registered who he was the same second her brain started spinning and her gut tightened in a weird way and she felt hugely uncomfortable about the whole thing. While she prided herself on being able to connect with 'kindred spirits', and was perfectly confident in describing herself as a dreamer, something about this was out her depths. Something about this guy made her whole persona flea her body, leaving a useless wide-eyed mouth box in its place. She was not a fan of that. 

Spying a bench, she veered off and sat down on it, placing the drinks she was miraculously still holding next to her. Her eyes darted around, and she exhaled in relief when she did not see coffee shop guy. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, dropping her phone into her lap, effectively ending her pseudo phone call. She raked one hand back through her loose hair, to get some wayward strands away from her mouth. ' _Well_ ,' she thought to herself again, " _so much for the cool, casual and perfectly flirty reunion I had hoped for. What good is this ridiculous imagination if I cant put my detailed fake scenarios to use._.."

Her musing was cut of when she heard a voice from in front of her, and felt her stomach drop even before she opened her eyes to confirm who it was.

"Hey...look, I'm not trying to be a creep here, honest. Its just these fell out of your bag when you answered your call?" He coughed slightly on the word call, the corners of his cute mouth twitching up. "I thought you might want them."

One of his hands held out her sunglasses to her. Her favorite sunglasses, she might add. They were cheap, plastic, and begging for death after being dragged around for more summers than they were meant for, but they fit her face perfectly, and she would have been genuinely upset had they been lost.

"Oh my gosh, thank you! I didnt even realize I dropped them!" She momentarily forgot her awkwardness around this perfect stranger for a moment as she reached out to take the glasses, opening them and sliding them on her face and up onto the top of her head, effectively solving her unruly hair situation as well. Her eyes met his again and offered a smile, despite the nervous churning of her stomach. It was the least she could do considering she had just acted like a total spaz.

He nodded and started to turn away, but she saw his eyebrows briefly knit together and he faced her once again, holding his palm out to her. "I'm Gil. I dont know if you remember but I'm pretty sure we met at a coffee shop the other day...Avonlea? Was that you?"

Anna's throat went dry. He remembered her. Why would he do that? She had hoped for it, obviously, but there was no reason that he should have remembered her. Would it be weird if she admitted to remembering him to? 

"I remember..." she responded slowly, making sure to point her eyes up as if she were searching her memories like they hadn't been on the front lines of her mind all week. "Hello again."

He dropped his hand, and she kicked herself for not taking it. ' _Great, now you're rude, spazzy, and an ice queen_ ' she thought to herself. 

He seemed pretty nonplussed though, gesturing to the bench. "Do you mind if I sit? Keeping up with you was a workout."

She had the good grace to blush a little, and self consciously tried to tuck her hair behind her ear. "Sure. I'm meeting friends, though, they should be here any minute..." she glanced at her wrist as if she were wearing a watch. She wasnt. What was wrong with her...

\---

  
Gilbert couldn't believe his luck. Honestly, he shouldn't be sitting with her on this bench, he should be high tailing it to the nearest corner store to buy a mega millions ticket. If you would have asked him an hour ago he would have told you he had a better chance of winning that than meeting this mysterious Ann-girl again. So when he wandered down to the market this morning to stock up on some produce and grab a bite to eat before his shift at the hospital and ended up staring into her eyes again, well...you could have told him the sun was the moon and the sky was yellow and he would have believed it.

When she had turned and run, he panicked, knowing he wouldn't have any reason to chase after her that seemed sane. And then his second stroke of luck hit as he watched a pair of sunglasses drop out of her bag and skitter on the ground as she obviously pretended to answer a call. Praise the lord and pass the ammunition. 

He had to give her credit, she did her best to lose him. Getting around people in a hurry was a specialty of his, thanks to all the hospital hallway runs. She also underestimated exactly how much he wanted to talk to her. There was a snowball's chance in hell of him letting her get away this time.

He hung back just enough that he wouldn't startle her and let her take a breath on the bench she landed on. Willing his heartbeat to return to normal, he took in the way her hands swiped at her hair. He remembered the way his hands had sunk into those red strands in more than one dream, and he had to remind himself for the millionth time to stop being so goddamn awful. 

He walked up to stand in front of her. "Hey..." he tried to be reassuring that he was not being the creep he was totally being. Her genuine thanks and simple smile as he returned her shades almost rendered him speechless again, and for a moment he thought it would be better if he just left this alone. This girl did not bring out the best in him. As soon as he had dipped his head to leave, however, he found himself turning right back around to hold out his hand and introduce himself. ' _Give it everything you've got, man. This will literally never happen again.'_

It was a bit of a blow when she refused to shake his hand, but he wasnt giving up. Not yet. "Do you mind if I sit? Keeping up with you was a workout." He watched a pretty color pink sweep across her freckled cheeks as she nodded, mumbling something about meeting friends. Cute. She didnt even do anything and she was so damn cute.

When he sat down next to her he searched his brain for the next thing to say. His eyes landed on the coffee cups with the familiar Avonlea logo stamped on them. Had she gone looking for him? That was obviously going a little far to hope.

He gestured to the drinks. "Avonlea coffee? It's good, right? Have you tried the golden latte?"

She let out a small and slightly nervous sounding laugh. "I havent. I did order one, but it's for my friend Diana, she loves them. What is it exactly? Everyone seems really fond of it."

He blew the air out of his nose in humor. "Honestly, I dont know either. You're right though, people do make it seem like a big deal...So with Diana out of the running, that must make you either...Cole or Ann?" 

He obviously already knew her name. But he couldn't let her know he knew that. Confusion crossed her face, "How did you..." before she followed his eyes down to the names scrawled on the cardboard sleeves of the cups. "Oh, of course. Well, you guessed it. I'm Cole."

He chuckled and leaned back on the bench, draping his arm over the back of it.

"Huh. Well color me surprised. You sure look like an Ann to me...so tell me Cole," he dragged the name out comically. "If a guy who was running short on time today met a girl he really wanted to spend some time talking to against all odds, what do you think he should do?"

Her face flushed scarlett again. "What makes this guy so sure that the girl wants to talk to him?"

His heart sank a little. She was going to shoot him down. He looked her in the eyes again and did this best to look completely earnest. "Absolutely nothing. She actually ran away from me...but a guy does have to have hope."

Her eyes softened ever so slightly and she looked away smiling gently. 

"Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like...Lemony Snickett." He listened to her quote the words, confused and growing more defeated by the second.

"Is that your way of telling me this had all been nothing but a series of unfortunate events?" He asked, a little dejected. 

She smirked at him, and turned to dig a small notebook and pen out of her bag. "It means," she replied scribbling something down, "that you caught me on a day where I am willing to follow fate's lead. Even if it makes me wildly and confusingly uncomfortable."

She tore the page out and handed it to him. And there, in his hand, written in beautiful slanting script was a phone number, and a name.

Anne. 

He smiled, and handed it back to her. "You misspelled Cole."

She laughed and swatted his hand away, and it made him smile wider.

"So it is Anne, then. Anne with an E. That's a nice touch. If your name was a puzzle on Wheel of Fortune it would be harder to solve. You'd have to buy a vowel and everything."

"Oh, were making fun of names now, Gil?" She shot back, a hint of temper in her voice.

A little thrill went down his spine as his name fell hotly from her lips. Finally. 

A quick glance at his watch made him realize he really had to go. Standing up, he tucked the paper with her name and number into his pocket. "Not at all. It's a compliment, I do love a good puzzle. But 'Gil' is actually short for my real name. You'll have to see me again to learn it. Deal?"

He watched as the temper he had stirred up leave her face. "Is that an ultimatum?"

"Not at all. It's something to look forward to. My name is super embarrassing, you're really going to love it."

Her eyebrow raised and she put a finger to her lips. "Well, now you have me hooked. Its a deal."

He gave her what he hoped was his most charming smile and nodded to her phone. "So...should I text you or call you so you can actually have a phone to answer next time you're running away from a strange man?"

Her eyes widened and then narrowed, lips twitching as she tried to hold back a smile. "I dont think I like you."

He shrugged and started to turn away. "We'll see." He took a few steps and turned back to her one more time. "I am really glad I met you again, Anne with an E. I look forward to seeing you soon."

He forced himself to walk away this time, but not before throwing one last smile over his shoulder at her. Her pretty blue eyes were still fixed on him, and she waved.

Oh, he must look like the cat that ate the canary. He felt like one of those love stricken cartoons, floating along on invisible clouds.

...he really hoped that wasnt a fake number she gave him.


	4. Tequila Anne

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well kiddos, get in, buckle up, and enjoy this long and bumpy ride on the exposition express. 
> 
> A special thanks to Monsieur Writers Block for the delay in chapter. I'm not totally in love with this one, but hopefully it's the bridge I needed to get me where I'm looking to go.

Gilbert sat in the staff lounge at the hospital staring at the the 10 most terrifying numbers he had ever seen in his life. Anne's phone number. Anne with an e at the end of her name. Anne with the perfect penmanship. Anne who's voice had been whispering through his dreams for a week now. And if he could just man up and call her, he could hear it again.

Should he call? Do people still call? Is texting better? Should he text to see if its alright if he calls?

' _Christ almighty_ ,' he thought as he ran his hand over his face and raking it back through his dark wavy hair. _'since when am I back in high school?'_

"Well hey, stranger. Pleasure meeting you here." A sweet voice interuppted his thoughts and he looked up to see Winifred Rose, one of the nurses.

She was a pretty thing, all soft blond curls and bright blue eyes. A regular on the night shift, she was well liked by everyone, and had a special gift with keeping children that had the unfortunate experience of being brought into the hospital calm or distracted with animated tales and conversations.

Gil smiled warmly but politely back at her greeting. "Hey Win. You just coming in?" She finished pouring coffee into her cup and turned back around to lean against the counter. "Mmm-hmm..." she hummed as she took a cautious sip. "Just popping in for a quick fuel up. How's it been today?"

"Blessedly quiet. Though now that I've said that the rest of my shift will probably be ruined...speaking of I need to get back out there. I'll see you in the trenches." He pushed himself up and stretched, gathering his things and heading towards the door.

She threw a mock salute at him accompanied by another darling smile. "Yes sir, Dr. Blythe, sir. Oh, and I'm looking forward to our date tomorrow. 7:00, right?"

Gilbert stopped with his hand on the door as his blood rushed in an icy chill from his head to his toes. ' _Shit_.' He had 100% forgotten he had asked Winnie out in an attempt to get Anne out of his head, never imagining he would actually meet her again. He couldn't break it off at this point...could he?

Which would be worse, making up a lame excuse to not go on a date with a pretty blonde, or going on a date with a pretty blonde and thinking of a firey redhead the whole time instead? Karma was going to have a field day with this one either way, he was quite sure of it.

"7:00 is right. I'll text you."

\---

Anne's phone buzzed and she practically became the flash, she grabbed it so fast. Making a face as an email notification lit up the screen, she tossed it back down next to Tincup, the brindled cat curled up on a cushion next to her, taking advantage of a cool evening sunbeam.

Whoever put it into men's head's that they need wait three days before contacting a girl ought to be smacked about the head with something heavy. In this modern Era with 101 different ways to find someone, the practice was simply archaic.

In defense of this 'Gil' character, it had only been 2 days. But honestly, what was he waiting for? She should have asked for his number instead, and taken matters into her own hands. Diana glanced over at her from the oversized chair she was cuddled into. "Still no word from him?"

  


Cole and Diana had found Anne on the same bench where Gil had left her. She was smiling softly and doodling flowers in her notebook. They practically had to sit on top of her to get her to take notice of them.

Diana had asked if she was feeling alright, ever the concerned friend. Cole, who was sharp as a tack even when just being dragged out under the promise of poutine, pounced on the notebook like a starving cat and waved it in her face. "My, my, Anne of Green Gables. What's got us in such an artistic mood today, hmmm?"

Cole had briefly gone to school with Anne and Diana in 8th grade when she had found her place with Matthew and Marilla on their farm. His family had moved away shortly after, and the two reconnected at Redmond College. They had both enrolled in the same class freshman year, and proceeded to make a quick study of friendship.

Diana had chosen not to go to Redmond, opting for a private college in Toronto. Their brief separation had put no strain on the girls strong girlhood bond, though. The second they both graduated they found themselves back together again in a little apartment they shared happily.

She snatched her notebook back from Cole, who smiled wickedly while Diana narrowed her eyes. Blushing furiously, she didn't even try to fight the inevitable explanation. Sighing, she handed them both their promised drinks and gave them a brief rundown of the events of the morning.

"Wait, so you met him at coffee the other day? And then again this morning? On purpose? What's his name? What does he do? How old is he? Where is he from? Give me details!" Diana, protector eternal, peppered her immediately with questions.

Another flush darkened Anne's face as she tried to answer in the order with which they were presented. "Yes, yes, not exactly, Gil, and I can't answer any of the rest of that. We didn't have a chance to talk, he said he had to go, I gave him my number, and that was that. He may not even call."

"Well of course he won't call," Cole cut in, "Nobody calls anymore...his name is Gil? Like, fish gills?"

Anne laughed. "He said it was short for his real, embarrassing, name. And that I would have to see him again to learn it."

"I can't tell if that's cocky, or cute..." Diana said with a huff. "Oh, Anne, I wish we would have been here sooner! I would feel so much better about this if I had been able to see him. What kind of vibe did you get from him? You've always been a good judge of character."

"He seems...nice. I actually had a moment when I first saw him at Avonlea the other day that he was one of my kindred spirits. Something about the way he was reading the paper..."

"OH thank God he reads!" Cole threw in his opinion again. "I'd pity the man who asks Anne Shirley-Cuthbert out without a strong literary leg to stand on."

Diana crossed her arms. "Just because he had a newspaper doesn't mean he reads, Cole."

"Oh, really? When was the last time you picked up a physical newspaper?"

"That's not the point..." He cut her off with a wave of his hand and turned to Anne. "And you?"

Anne threw an apologetic glance at Diana and ducked her head. "This morning."

"Case closed, ladies. Now, I'm starving. If this guy ends up getting ahold of Anne here we will pick him apart then, and what fun we will have...but right now, I need potatoes, gravy, and cheese. Let's go."

Anne had never been more grateful for Cole's matter of fact attitude. Standing up she held out her hand to her Diana, linking their arms together.

"I read..." she grumbled.

Patting her friend affectionately on the hand, they took off after Cole. "I know."

  


Back in the present day a frustrated Anne shook her head in confirmation of Diana's question. "Am I being ridiculous? Two days is normal. I was just hoping he wasn't 'normal', you know? He seemed so genuinely pleased that I gave him my number."

The dark haired girl sniffed in indignation. "He has until tomorrow, then he's dead to us. I don't care how charming he was. And can I just say he's already lost some points in my book." Her phone chimed and she flicked her finger up the screen, eyes darting across a message. "Ruby wants to go out for drinks tonight. You game?"

Anne was scratching Tincup lightly about his ears and chin. "Actually that might be a good thing to keep my mind off of things. Is this a Jerry or no Jerry night?"

Jerry had actually grown up working at Green Grables farm with Anne in the summers for some extra cash. He had become quite like an older brother to her, and it both tickled and disgusted her when Diana had come forward to admit they had started seeing each other.

"Mmmmm...no Jerry, I think. Ruby wants to go to El Patio for Margarita Monday. He hates Mexican food and I wouldn't mind a night with just the girls."

"Yessssss. Count me in, then. How can I say no to a margarita the size of my face."

  


Later that night, sitting around the table at the cheap, but ridiculously delicious Mexican restaurant, Anne was two margaritas deep and feeling exceedingly proud that she had not checked her phone in the last half hour. The camaraderie one feels when surrounded by girlfriends has a strange and beautiful magic about it that makes you forget things that have been bothering you all day. Like a pair of hazel eyes that could look into your soul...

Tequila Anne decided in that moment that a half hour was plenty good for a personal record. Trying to be discreet, she flipped her phone right side up where it had been face down on the table and clicked the power button. No messages. ' _Well, Balls_.'

Diana swiped the phone away immediately, dumping it into her purse. "No more. You're going to wear out that button." This caught the attention of some of the other girls, who turned their conversation to them.

Phillippa or 'Phil' to almost everyone, was the first to pounce. "Oooohhh, don't tell me our dear Queen Anne had found a prince? It's about time. I swear was going to make a tinder for you myself if you didn't..."

"Phil!" Tilly cut her off. "Not everyone is into the different man every night deal! Anne has standards. Admittedly lofty ones, I think...actually I have no idea. You've never really told us what you're looking for."

Embarrassed, Anne swirled the ice in her drink around with her straw. "Its not like I have a list. It's just a feeling, I guess."

Phil dipped a chip in salsa and smiled wickedly. "Oh, hon. There are definitely guys on tinder who will make you feel things. For hours, if you're lucky!"

"Alright! Jesus, Phillipa Gordon. I swear someday someone is going to tame you and you'll be coming to Anne for advice!" Diana, loyal guardian of Anne's feelings came to the rescue.

Luckily, the comforting buzz from the margaritas had settled nicely into her red head, leaving her feeling light and giggly. "Its fine, Di. I'll be waiting for that day, though, Phil. My arms and mind will be open wide to school you in the comforting embrace of monogamy."

Phil messed up her pretty face at that. "Sounds awful."

Ruby and Jane came back from the bathroom to find the four girls in fits of giggles. Taking their seats, Ruby broke in. "What did we miss? Why is Anne's face so red!"

Tilly took a sip from her drink and smiled. "She was just about to tell us about some guy she has a 'feeling' about."

"I never said I had a feeling about _him_ , I just said that I can tell that's _how_ I like someone."

Jane scoffed. "Let us know how that works out. I think the last guy you went out with was Charlie Sloane and I think he's still locked up in his room shaking."

"Charlie Sloane is an idiot. A likeable one, but an idiot." Anne quipped back.

Phil flapped her hands excitedly."Alrightalrightalright. Enough! I want to hear about the brave knight who's daring enough to take on our queen, here. Go on, love. Sing us the song of his bravery."

Anne retold once more the story of the last week, trying and failing to keep her face from burning. Her love life had always played second fiddle to her education and work, so whenever her friends got a whiff of gossip concerning it, they were relentless.

"Well goddammit, Diana! Give me that damn phone so I can see if he's texted!" Jane demanded. "I mean honestly, this is like some sort of movie plot."

"It is pretty romantic sounding." Tilly cooed with her face held in her hands.

"Its only romantic if he man's up and contacts her, and..." Diana paused, pulling Anne's phone out again, "nothing."

Anne ignored the sinking feeling in her gut. "It's still a little romantic. It will be the fastest tale of tragic romance ever told. You know how I adore that. Who needs another drink?" She added, trying to change the subject.

"I need a drink of what just walked in the door. _Hello_ , tall dark, and handso-oh never mind, he's got a girl with him." Ruby's attention was not hard to gain, but was notorious for fizzling out quickly.

It was enough for the other 5 women to check out the couple that walked in the door, however.

Anne felt the breath knock out of her lungs. ' _You've got to be kidding me.'_ She thought to herself as she watched Gil, the object of her obsession, guide a beautiful blonde to a table and sit down, his back thankfully to her.

Her hand darted out to grasp Diana's knee under the table. "Bathroom?" She asked, hoping her voice sounded level and calm. Diana searched Anne's eyes, and sensing panic, nodded quickly.

"We'll be right back." She announced, and the two hurried off to the ladies room with was blessedly on their side of the restaurant. Once safely behind the door, Diana turned on Anne, questions spilling out of her face.

"Its him. Gil. The one that just walked in with the most perfect blonde in the world, I mean who _looks_ like that..."

"WHAT." Diana's eyes went wide and she whirled around to peek out the door again. "No way! Ok, firstly, yes he is dreamy...but no! No! What a toad!"

Closing the door again she found Anne leaning her hands on the bathroom counter staring at her reflection and breathing deeply.

"Anne..." she proceeded cautiously, "...Anne what do you want to do. We can leave. We just have to say goodbye to the girls and we'll get the hell out of dodge. Is that what you want to do?"

Maybe it was the anger. Maybe it was the disappointment. Maybe it was the tequila, (it was definitely the tequila) but she closed her eyes for a moment and opened them full of determination.

"No. I want to talk to him."

"OK, let's go....wait, what?"

"I'm going to talk to him."

"...but...he's...on...a...date...are you sure that's what you want because it seems...a little unhinged? Are you just going to barge in on them? Whats the plan?"

No sooner than the words had left her mouth than fate reached out with its peculiar sense of humor and the blonde breezed into the bathroom, startling slightly at the two girls staring at her. Quickly recovering, she smiled and uttered a soft 'excuse me' brushing past them to check her reflection in the mirror.

And in that moment, a moment that would forever go down as a top 10 gesture of friendship in their lives, Diana mouthed an urgent ' _GO'_ to Anne and immediately flipped to the blonde with her best customer service voice.

"Oh my God, girl, I love your shoes. You have to tell me where you got them."

As much as she wanted to give her best friend a standing ovation, she knew she had precious few moments to work with here. Rushing out of the bathroom and past her friends rapidly confused faces, she marched up to the table where Gil sat and planted herself in front of him.

"Gil."

His eyes snapped up at the sound of her voice.

"Anne? What..." his mouth went dry and he lost the ability to speak.

"Hi. Anne, remember?" She pointed to her face. "We met the other day and you acted charming and I gave you my number? Yeah. I'm going to need you to lose that. You see, I didn't realize that you were already seeing someone, and I'm _super_ not into that sort of asshole-ery..."

"But..." he tried to interject.

"No, nono. That's all. That's all I wanted to say, _needed_ to say. Do not call me. Have a nice night."

Turning on her heel, she made a beeline for the door feeling her delicious tequila buzz being taken over by the cold splash of sobriety and trying not to hyperventilate. The fresh air hit her face and she breathed deep, continuing to walk briskly away from the restaurant as quickly as possible.

"Anne!" She heard him call her name and heard the heavy footsteps behind her.

Using the very last remnants of her liquid courage she had left, she whipped around to let him have it one last time. Before she could get a word out of her mouth, he had taken her face in his hands and crushed his mouth to hers.

Her eyes popped open wide and her hands curled into fists. But they stayed frozen at her side. Her mind was screaming at her to stop him, push him away, yell at him to get off her! Somehow, through all that, all she managed was a small sound in the back of her throat as she felt herself place her balled fists at his shoulders and let her lips respond to his for the briefest moment before he pulled away as abruptly as he had brought her to him, stepping back with his hands in the air.

Her own fingers went to her mouth, her lips tingling and her head spinning. Reality crashed back down on her and her eyes flashed anger at him.

"I'm sorry! I am so sorry. I didn't know what else to do...anything else probably would have been better, but...just listen, for one minute, ok?"

He watched her chest fall rise and fall, and her eyes still bore into him like cold fire, but she remained silent.

"I asked Winifred out before I met you again. _Before_. I forgot all about our date until yesterday which also makes me sound terrible, yes, but I didn't know how or if I should cancel. Please, _please_ believe me."

She didn't know what she believed. It sounded true enough, but...

He took a step towards her. "Please. I don't know how to say this without sounding like a total creep, but I really, _really_ want to take you out. This," he gestured towards the restaurant, "ends tonight. It's nothing."

Anne furrowed her brow at him. "You kissed me." She finally spoke.

He nodded slowly. "I did..."

"I think you might be insane."

He laughed softly. "I think you have that effect on me, yeah."

She took a deep stuttering breath in, and exhaled slowly. She looked behind him to the lights lining the windows. "She's really pretty." She breathed out.

She watched something soften in his eyes as he focused solely on her. He opened his mouth to respond, but 5 women spilled out of the door, laughing and calling to Anne. One in particular looked more concerned than jovial, and he was pretty certain she threw a withering glare at him.

His time was up. "I'll call you," he said quietly.

"I might not answer."

He shrugged his shoulders and half smiled. "I still have to try."

She was whisked away by her friends leaving him to return to the pretty blond who could never hold a candle to the fire that he had just met.

' _Blythe, you're going to have to hope for a miracle to pull this one off_.'


	5. Strong independent woman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone its 'ya girl, back from the void. 2020, you guys. Damn. 
> 
> Anyway, I got myself a Bluetooth keyboard for my phone and I'm taking a crack at saving this thing that I've single handedly derailed sooooo....here goes. One more chapter of bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, before I can get into some quality meat. Fingers crossed. Yeesh.
> 
> **

Those who were not in close acuaintence who saw Anne in the days following the parking lot incident would hardly have noticed any change. She was perky, punctual, and generally her usual self.

Those who were within her inner circle, however, could see the fire burning through the cracks of her generally composed exterior. Anytime her phone would ring she would fluctuate between pushing it away from her immediately, or staring at the screen as her face would instantly flush red. She could be seen in the middle of daily tasks just staring ahead, lost in her own thoughts and her face a brilliant shade of red...again.

Diana was the only person who knew what had happened. Anne had at least owed her that explanation after the world class display of friendship from the bathroom. Her reaction went from outrage to curiosity rather quickly, which did nothing to pacify Anne's perfectly logical decision to loathe him for all eternity.

They were no sooner inside their apartment after their night out with the girls, before Diana had basically sat on top of Anne. "Spill!" she had demanded, just as soon as Anne blurted out "That jag-weed kissed me!"

Diana's mouth formed a soft and silent "o" as she wordlessly went to the liquor cabinet and grabbed the bottle of tequila. Popping the cork out of the top, she took a quick swig before handing it to Anne who took it an flopped on the couch to follow suit. There was a small stretch of silence as the two girls passed the bottle back and forth.

Diana opened and closed her mouth a few times before managing a simple "Why?"

Sighing loudly and picking up a cushion to hug to her chest, Anne responded. "Because he's insane? He said he didnt know what else to do."

"I mean, probably literally anything else would have been better..."

"Right?! Ugh! Like who even would think to do thing like that."

"What about Winnie, are they like, together?" At Anne's WTF face, Diana shrugged. "I had some time to kill in the bathroom, I learned her name."

Anne's face scrunched up at the perfect name for the most perfect looking girl. Taking a deep breath, she laid out everthing that happened, with dark understanding eyes taking in the whole thing.

"While I dont agree at all with his method, it is a small comfort to know that he wasnt being a complete sleeze ball, and as long as he wasn't lying, it does seem to be a case of unfortunate timing and idiotic male impulse." She took another sip from the bottle before pushing, "Does he at least kiss as good as he looks?"

Glaring at her best friend, Anne swiped the bottle. "Thats enough for you," but gave in to giggles as the two entered into a staring contest. When they calmed down, Anne dropped her head onto Diana's shoulder.

"I think I liked it. Him kissing me...does that make me insane too?"

"Yes. And you dont end up killing him, I look forward to my speech at your wedding."

\---

The first text came that night.

_"The only bright side of this is that I dont have to worry about coming on too strong anymore. -Gil"_

Anne felt her blood race as the notifcation popped up at the top of her phone. It was close to 2am and she had given up on trying to sleep and was mindlessly re-reading some trashy chick-lit to pass the time.

Logic, literally all of it, told her to delete the text, black list the number, and move on from this weird ass, piece of work of a day. Instead she found herself smiling at his attempt at humor before snapping out of it and reminding herself that she was being foolish.

" _Come on_ ," she thought to herself " _it's 2am. Anything is funny at 2am. Read one more chapter and go to sleep._ " So when the male lead in her book suddenly had dark hair and hazel eyes in her mind, she figured she may as well blame that on the tequila. And when she finally drifted off to sleep remembering his lips against hers, well...that must have been a combination of both.

He continued to text throughout the next day.

_"I hope you're having a good day"_

_"I can get you references to prove I'm not a psyhco, idiot, or both. Whichever you're worried most about"_

_"If this is not Anne with an E's phone...I sincerely apologize."_

With each chime of her phone, Anne's irritation grew. she couldn't quite place what bothered her more, his persistance or the fact that despite all reason, she couldn't bring herself to shut him down. She should shut him down. He seemed a decent sort of guy, it would be the best thing to do, to tell him to scram.

But perhaps the most irritating part was that deep down, she knew she didnt want to. She actually wanted to see him again. She rationalized it by telling herself that if she saw him again, she could tell him off properly.

She practiced an inspirational and scathing lecture that would put him in his place. Femisists all over the world would quote that speech and have artistic prints of their favorite lines framed on their walls. It was glorious. And it gave her the excuse she needed to finally respond that evening when she received a particularly somber text that read...

_"Look, I get it. I wouldnt want to talk to me either. A guy just had to try, right?"_

She dismissed the way her heart pounded in her chest and the way her finger trembled slighly as it hovered over the phone icon. She took a deep steadying breath and hit the call button, instantly regretting the decision and willing him not to answer.

But of course he did. _Shit_.

So, she dismissed how her pulse got somehow impossibly faster at the sound of his deep and cautious "Hello?"

"...I shoudn't want to talk to you." she managed to squeak out, and she could practically hear his smile on the other line.

"You're probably right. So who's the insane one now?"

"Are you sure thats the card you want to put on the table right now?" She shot back.

"Good point. Hello, Anne. I'm glad you called. Let's go with that, instead? Perhaps a normal greeting might do us some good."

She felt the corners of her lips twitch towards a smile. What the hell was it with this guy?

"I think..." she started, and cleared her throat. "I think we owe it to each other to meet just once. Normally." She repeated and emphasized the last word.

"I can work with that," he replied softly, and Anne resorted to reciting some of the more scathing lines of her prepared speech to keep her focused. She was strong. She was determined. She was simply doing her duty to protecting womenkind.

'Gil' was going down.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! Thank you for reading. Its been over a decade since I've shaken the dust off my writing fingers, so bear with me as I get my bearings again. I'm just looking to get through this time of social distancing by creating a world of joy, and if any of you want to jump on the train, I'm happy to have you!
> 
> This is planned to be a fluff, fluff, fluffity cute story with some steamy bits thrown in. Its not adhering to any dedicated version of Anne of Green Gables particularly, but Anne with an E would probably be the closest.
> 
> There will be humor.  
> There will be fan service.  
> There will be a million grammar and punctuation mistakes.  
> But mostly there will be a story I hope will help myself and you all forget the world for a few moments and escape to a different one. 
> 
> Good vibes to you all!


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